The US has deported scores of migrants to the Central African Republic, one of the world’s poorest and most troubled states, under a controversial agreement that allows Washington to deport migrants who cannot be returned to their home countries.
About two dozen migrants, including an Iranian pro-democracy activist, were aboard the flight that took off from Louisiana Thursday night, their lawyer said. It landed in Bangui on Friday.
Other migrants on board the flight included citizens of Jordan, Armenia, Turkey, Georgia and Afghanistan, according to Ali Rahnamah, interim executive director of the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund.
What else do we know about the US deportation flight to CAR?
Records from ICE flight monitors managed by Human Rights First show that the deportation plane landed in the Central African Republic’s capital shortly before 10 p.m. local time (2100 GMT) after stopping in Ghana’s capital, Accra.
No details were given about where the deportees would be held or the length of their stay in the Central African Republic.
A source close to the US Embassy told The Associated Press that some migrants were temporarily staying at a fire base near the embassy compound under construction in Bangui. Others were to be placed in other locations.
Upon their arrival, the men and women were separated, the source said.
“He has no connection to this place. I have provided lots of information in all my filings about how dangerous it is,” Emily Trostle, a lawyer for the Iranian exiled activist, told Reuters.
He said, “These individuals are being removed from the United States and left in a country where they have no status, no connections and no support network. We fear they will ultimately be forced to return to the countries they originally fled.”
Why was an Iranian pro-democracy activist deported from the US?
Trostle said three Iranian women who had fled persecution at home were threatened with deportation, but only one of them actually arrived on a deportation flight.
The Iranian American Legal Defense Fund (IALDF) said they faced deportation after their asylum claims were rejected for violating a rule that requires them to apply in the countries they transit through before reaching the US.
The rule was struck down by a California federal court in May.
The IALDF warned that deporting Iranians to the Central African Republic was “a potentially lethal action”. It specifically pointed to the close ties between the country’s administration and Moscow, a solid intelligence ally of Iran.
What are Washington’s deportation deals with African, Latin American countries?
The Trump administration signed several widely criticized agreements with African and Latin American countries to take deportees from third countries whom the US could not send back to their home countries.
The legality of the deals has been largely questioned by rights groups, but Washington has insisted they are legally sound.
Often secret deals have been made with countries such as the Central African Republic and Ghana, as well as at least seven other African countries.
Advocates say the US has deported thousands of people to nearly two dozen countries that are not their own.
Immigration lawyers accused the Trump administration of using the deals as legal loopholes to indirectly force asylum seekers to return to their home countries. Many of those deported had obtained legal protection from US courts against their repatriation.
These deals are being seen as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants.
Don’t let algorithms hide news. If you rely on our team for reliable reporting, please take a moment Choose us as your preferred source on Google by clicking here And press the “Star” or “Favorite” button, so you always see our verified news first.
Edited by: Jennifer Cimino Gonzalez